


...That I Shall Say Goodnight 'til it be Morrow

by Moonshoes_Potter



Series: Project Icarus [2]
Category: Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency (TV 2016)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Escape from Blackwing, First Kiss, Gen, M/M, Tently Torrent, Touch-Starved Assistent, Touch-Starved Dirk, sup bitches im not dead, the violence isnt super graphic but i thought id tag it anyway, they did it lads
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-25
Updated: 2019-02-25
Packaged: 2019-11-05 17:42:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,351
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17923406
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Moonshoes_Potter/pseuds/Moonshoes_Potter
Summary: Todd loses his concentration whilst trying to hold the portal open and ends up in Blackwing, where he sees something unexpected.





	...That I Shall Say Goodnight 'til it be Morrow

“Just step back.”

Amanda plunged her hands into the water. Immediately, the pool flickered to life. She began screaming in pain, but stopped when Todd rushed to her side and pulled her away. Dirk examined the water.

“Are you okay? Does it always hurt?” Todd checked her hands for burns and other signs of damage. Dirk stood slightly to the side, looking concerned.

“Yeah, yeah,” Amanda was out of breath but seemed fine otherwise. “I think I can do it. It’ll hurt like a bitch, but I can do it.”

Todd bit his lip. He didn’t want to outright tell Amanda that he believed she was wrong and that it was too much; she wouldn’t take kindly to that. On the other hand, the light from the pool had been anything but sustained. “Are you sure? I don’t want you to injure yourself…” He said carefully. Then he had an idea. “Hey, it’s your pararibulitis that gives you this ability, right? Maybe I could help, since I have it too.”

Amanda raised an eyebrow, but she smiled anyway. “You’d do that for me? You have no idea how bad this shit hurts. It’s like... getting five attacks all at the same time.”

Todd shrugged. “I’ll try. Least I can do.”

Todd and Amanda stationed themselves on the sides of the pool and nodded to each other with finality. Dirk stood on the edge with nervousness in his stance. He set his face to what he probably hoped was one of confidence, but instead he just looked like he was going to throw up. Todd and Amanda thrust their hands in, screaming in unison.

The pain was so intoxicating that Todd barely registered the water splashing onto his face after Dirk jumped through the portal. The water churned and shone with maliciously cheerful light. Todd heard someone screaming, then realized that someone was himself.

Maybe it was that Amanda had a stronger will than Todd. Maybe it was that Todd was less experienced at enduring this excruciating pain. Maybe it was that Amanda actually had at least an inkling of how to open a portal and keep it like that. Whatever the reason, Todd just couldn’t hold himself there. His concentration slipped and so did his feet. 

All he heard was Amanda’s shout of protest before falling forward into the glowing water. He heard the water rushing in his ears. He was falling so fast, but then he flew out of the water and onto a surface which was _very_ hard and painful on his face. 

At the echoing sound of distant gunshots, Todd struggled to his feet. He knew right away from the scene before him that he was in Blackwing. Before he had enough time to think about anything else, Todd heard a squeal. Dirk? It was followed by whispered curses and a _thunk_ that sounded like someone ran into a wall. Yep — definitely Dirk.

Todd followed Dirk, who didn’t seem to notice that Todd was doing so. Todd jogged to catch up. Somehow Dirk managed to stay just too far ahead to hear the footsteps behind him.

Suddenly, Dirk slammed into a man who had just turned the corner and sprinted towards him. The man in question, who looked to be a Blackwing employee judging by his suit, had been watching over his shoulder and hadn’t seen Dirk. He now had his hands up in a position of surrender. 

Todd scrambled to hide behind a column. He hoped to gain a position where he could surprise this man the instant he attacked Dirk, but the instant didn’t come. 

Dirk and the Blackwing agent stared at each other, their faces expressing a thousand different emotions Todd couldn’t identify. 

“Dirk?” the agent whispered. Not “Project Icarus.” Not “Svlad,” or whatever the fuck Dirk’s real name was. Just “Dirk.”

Todd’s confusion and disbelief only grew when Dirk responded in a voice that contained just as much feeling. “Michael?” 

Todd mouthed the name Dirk had used for the agent. So Dirk did know him. Strange as the moment was, absolutely nothing could have prepared Todd for what happened next. 

Dirk let out what might have been a small sob, grabbed the man’s — Michael’s — face, and pressed their mouths together. Michael’s hands were still up, but after a short moment he let them drop to Dirk’s hips.

Unable to make a sound or move, Todd was forced to watch his friend make out (quite enthusiastically, one might add) with this man who Todd hadn’t even known existed until a few seconds ago.

As Todd was marveling at the whole situation, the two men before him separated for air. Dirk had a hand in Michael’s hair and their foreheads were touching. They both breathed heavily. 

“I got your note,” Michael whispered. It was so quiet Todd could barely hear. As private as this moment was, Todd couldn’t tear his eyes away. He was simply frozen in shock. 

Dirk gave a little huff of laughter. “Sorry, I didn’t have a lot of time to wax poetic.” In a more serious tone he added, “I didn’t think I’d ever see you again.”

Dirk pulled Michael into a hug and tucked his face into Michael’s neck. Michael smiled with shining eyes, but then he spotted Todd. He stiffened and tapped Dirk on the shoulder, keeping his eyes on Todd. Todd swore and slowly emerged from his hiding place. 

Dirk turned around to see what Michael’s attention was on. His eyes lit up with recognition. Then they widened as he realized that Todd had been there the whole time. 

“Todd?” Dirk tried to sound casual and failed. He smiled and not-so-subtly stepped away from Michael. “What are you doing here? I thought you were helping Amanda with the portal.”

“Yeah, I was,” Todd avoided their eyes, scratching the back of his neck. “I kinda slipped through. Lost my focus, I guess.”

Michael sputtered in disbelief, “Sorry, the what?”

Looking between his friend and his… Michael, Dirk decided this was not the time. “Look, I promise both of you will receive a sufficient explanation for everything, but we need to move _now_.” Dirk addressed Michael, “Can you please take us to Project Moloch’s chamber? It’s very important.”

Michael nodded without hesitation. Todd could tell he had no idea why Dirk wanted to see Francis Cardenas so badly, but apparently whatever had happened here in Blackwing had built up enough trust between him and Dirk for nearly unconditional trust to bloom. Todd found himself tinged a little green at the thought. Whether it was envy or a reaction to the sheer adorableness of it all that colored him this way, Todd could not tell. 

Michael glanced at Todd apprehensively. Todd gestured for him to lead the way, to which Michael responded by grabbing Dirk’s hand and running down the hall. Still reeling at what he had witnessed, Todd jogged after them.

~~~~~

Dirk and Michael remained inseparable throughout their jailbreak of Blackwing. Any lingering doubts Michael may have kept about remaining loyal to Blackwing dissipated during their kiss. It felt so familiar yet delightfully new that, despite the dire circumstances, Michael had struggled to pull away. 

As they ran down the halls, hands clasped tight, Dirk and Michael worked as a team to find their destination. Michael navigated through the twists and turns while Dirk made sure they all stuck together and didn’t run into any people or columns. Huffing with effort, Todd scrambled through the corners that Dirk and Michael swung around with ease. 

They ran into Mona, who transformed into a golf cart to carry the three of them to the Boy. The three men followed Mona into his room. She promptly disappeared to god knows where (surprising no one). Friedkin jumped out at them, wielding a gun and demanding answers.

“Look, man,” Michael spoke to Friedkin in a frantic attempt to neutralize the situation, “Blackwing is a terrible place. Why did they keep people locked up? Huh? Is being different a crime?”

“Because we—!” Friedkin faltered, looking at Michael with what might have been a confused expression. It was hard to tell; he always looked confused. “Wait, what do you mean ‘did’? We still do, right?”

Michael grimaced a little and glanced at Dirk. The three other men stared at him. “Well, I kinda… started letting them all out after the knights arrived. I think I got to most of the subjects before you two got here.”

Todd raised his eyebrows. Dirk’s eyes shone with tears and admiration, though the former could have been caused by the gun still pointed at his face.

“What the fuck, dude?” Friedkin’s face twisted in anger. He pointed the gun at Michael, who, to everyone’s surprise, was unfazed. 

“Now, Mona,” he said simply. 

The gun in Friedkin’s hand turned into a large wooden hammer like one would find at a carnival game. It smashed backwards and knocked Friedkin out cold. Then it turned back into Human Mona, who grinned proudly. 

Dirk thanked her and Michael before rushing to Francis’s bedside. He unhooked the prone figure from all the machines and began wheeling his bed into the hallway. Todd, Mona, and Michael followed close behind. 

Just as they reached the pool, whose light was thready and weak, a shot rang out. Dirk collapsed onto the floor with a wordless cry, clutching his leg. Michael immediately dropped to his knees and examined Dirk’s wound. Meanwhile, Todd looked around wildly for the shooter. It turned out to be Ken, of all people. 

Todd exchanged threats with Ken, who unwittingly gave Dirk and Michael time to recuperate and prepare to jump into the portal on Todd’s signal. 

Soon enough, the swirling water and wild shifts in gravity ripping oxygen from their lungs became the forefront of their concerns. Ken and Blackwing had faded completely into the back of everyone’s minds by the time they regained their footing in Wendimoor.

The ragtag group of friends and acquaintances stood before The Boy with only mild worry about what this child would do. Todd’s relief at returning to the real world first was quickly drowned out with panic as he hurried to rescue Tina, Farah, and Sherlock.

Francis Cardenas, after sending everyone else away, eyed Dirk and Michael curiously. 

“I don’t remember you either,” he said to Michael in that strange, echoey voice. “But you seem familiar.”

“I, uh,” Michael still had to process that this was Project Moloch, the old man. “I worked at Blackwing. You might’ve heard me when you were, um…” 

Francis’s wide eyes brightened in recognition. “Ah, yes. The one with the silver tongue. You were very interesting.”

“Wait, what?” Michael and Dirk didn’t get the answer to their question, for they were whisked away before either of them could finish asking it. 

They arrived in the quarry where Todd struggled to get all three of his friends into the Amboolents. At a loss for what to do, Dirk simply reached for Michael’s hand. Dirk couldn’t speak through the tightness in his throat, so he tried to convey the importance of the anchor with his eyes. Michael nodded in understanding, squeezing his hand and helping him limp over to Todd, Farah, Tina, and Sherlock, gravel crunching under their feet. 

Todd was in the process of removing a stretcher from the car, so Dirk and Michael took up the task of comforting the injured.

“It’s okay, you’re gonna be okay,” Michael was whispering to Tina, “You haven’t lost too much blood, you didn’t get hit in any major arteries, your vital organs seem okay, just a few broken bones…” Every word fell out of his mouth like a sentient fountain, almost completely out of his control. Fortunately, his ramblings seemed to calm the poor police officer into slowing her breathing.

Dirk smiled and turned to Hobbs. “Hello, Sheriff,” He said, internally wincing at his overly casual tone. “We’re gonna get you help, alright? You’ll be fine. You can visit the Agency on your days off, perhaps help us with another case. Just keep breathing, okay?” 

Hobbs nodded weakly, “Yeah, don’t you worry too much about ol’ me, okay? My brain feels like macaroni, but I only got shot a little. Get Tina and Farah some help.”

Dirk shook his head at the stubbornness. “We’re taking you to a hospital. _All_ of you.” Dirk added, shooting Hobbs a pointed look. “Keep putting pressure on your wound and you’ll be okay.” Hobbs relented and let his head fall to the ground.

~~~~~

Dirk hobbled along on his crutches. Michael walked close to his side, trying not to run to the car. He was getting antsy, having stayed in one place for too long after no doubt royally pissing off Blackwing. If they hadn’t been located already, they would be soon. He just wanted them to leave.

When they finally got there, Farah was already safely buckled into the passenger seat next to Todd. She couldn’t drive yet, so the responsibility fell to Todd. _I can live with that,_ Michael thought, as he all but shoved Dirk into the car to get him off his leg. That man really could be a stubborn bastard about taking care of himself. Michael had his work cut out for him.

“So,” Todd began, once they were all situated. “What now?”

Farah rubbed her tired eyes. “Let’s just get going and decide on the way. Don’t want Blackwing catching our tail.” Michael silently thanked her for thinking sensibly and decided he liked her.

“Fair enough.” Todd turned to the road and shifted into gear, meeting Michael’s eye in the rearview mirror. An understanding of sorts passed between them. Michael’s hand gravitated towards Dirk’s after a moment, breaking his gaze.

As they drove, Michael looked out the window and stroked Dirk’s knuckles with his thumb. He couldn’t get what Project Moloch had said out of his head. _“The one with the silver tongue,”_ or whatever the hell that meant. Probably something important. But when Michael glanced over at Dirk’s snoozing form, he knew that no matter what happened, at least Dirk would be there with him.

**Author's Note:**

> so fuckin uhhh... the tently torrent has slowed down a bit
> 
> BUT
> 
> it's not over. the train is slow but goddamn it's still chuggin


End file.
